


all little life matters

by SnowyFlare



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime)
Genre: 'YOUR MY REPLACEMENT', ALSO LET GARY JUST SAY TO PAUL ONCE, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, BECAUSE THEY JUST WANT PAUL TO BE LIKE ASH, Budding Love, COME ON ANIME, CYNTHIA I LOVE YOU BUT YOU GOTTA NOT GASLIGHT PAUL LIKE THAT, Characters Find Out About Satoshi | Ash Ketchum's Adventures, Diamond and Pearl Remakes HYPEEE, Emotional Manipulation, Families of Choice, Flirting, Gary and Paul vent, Gary shows paul ashs baby pictures, ITS BEEN 3000 YEARS, M/M, Male Friendship, One-Sided Attraction, Paul DOES NOT GET BLAMED FOR RELEASING CHIMCHAR, Pokemon, REALLY I HATE SOME OF THE PAUL AND CYNTHIA EPISODES, Rated T for swearing, Reggie is really a terrible brother to Paul, Self-Discovery, Shinou-chihou | Sinnoh Region (Pokemon), Sinnoh though wasnt as bad as Unova, Unhealthy Relationships, WHEN HE'S HIS OWN PERSON, and he STILL doesnt call his friends, and he's done some terrible things too, as payback, ash isnt as sweet as you think he is, but ash can be kinda dumb sometimes, he didnt even have a phone till like this series, let me do what i want, looking back on my old pokemon fics my writing has improved like whoa, not gonna lie, then accidentally shows paul one of his own, this is just a vent fic, this isnt meant to hate on ash, though you let a Darkrai and a Latios in your league, written for Pokemon 25th Anniversary, you guess what it was of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:53:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29857665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SnowyFlare/pseuds/SnowyFlare
Summary: Paul has run into some pretty important people in the past, but this person in particular is probably important compared to all of them as he ties all the plot holes and inconsistences about one person sums up all the thoughts and confusion in his head about Ash goddamn Ketchum.And it's all thanks to Gary mother freaking Oak. What a day he's had. Since when would Paul think that his life would amount to this?
Relationships: Ookido Shigeru | Gary Oak/Shinji | Paul
Kudos: 5





	all little life matters

**Author's Note:**

> i have no excuses 
> 
> Gary Oak is secretly a fey he reels people in by asking him to pay him in burgers - Maya, Mia and Pearls would be proud Gary (just assume its a Veggie burger lol) i've been way too much into Ace Attorney lately and my writing has improved so much since i've dared touch anything Pokemon i thought i'd give the fandom justice by writing a never-met ship
> 
> it is the 25th anniversary and according to sources Gary's coming back in Journey's we're getting diamond and pearl remakes, and while Gary and Paul never met in the Sinnoh Saga they both were in the Sinnoh Saga at one point so i thought writing this would be relevant to the whole Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl theme we've got going on right now 
> 
> how how things have changed to write for a never-met-ship that's practically the entire Pokémon fanbase in a nutshell lol 
> 
> i have some really REALLY old Pokemon fan-fics that im looking at and its really inspiring to keep me up with writing to see how far i've come with just life in general and how much i've progressed as a person and how bad my writing was, i'm really happy with the decisions i've made for myself as a person in life and just for myself in general thanks pokemon for helping me reflect that in both good ways and bad - happy 25th (i'll be sure to post some of my older work for some of you to read later)

“Oh – so you’re my _replacement_.” Gary, Professor Oak; the Professor Oak’s grandson said with a huff, his Umbreon and Blastoise, and his own freaking Electivire stood next to him having completely obliterating Paul in that battle they just had. (Also, Oak’s grandson just had to have a Magmotar on top of that. Why?) 

_Replacement_ hits hard. Paul didn’t know Ash and Oak – _well this Oak_ – knew each other that well. Ash was from Pallet Town, sure, and Ash travelled with a couple of people, but Paul didn’t realize as Oak went on and on about Ash’s ‘friends’ in a bitter tone, never-calling, always upping and leaving at the moment’s chance… “So, here I am. Sinnoh’s always been like a second home to me. Professor Rowan has always been like my real grandpa. I guess you could say that.”

This guy beat Ketchum what, multiple times already? Granted that was at the start of their trainer career, but he’s already a self-published author, Pokémon Junior Researcher (well could he be called a junior researcher at the age of eighteen? Paul digresses, but regions age restrictions vary place to place), and he got so far in his Indigo League run compared to Paul it was embarrassing that Paul could consider himself a Rival compared to Oak.

Shocking, really. Paul just upped and disappeared from the world – “Now hold on. That Tibias Toby? That loser had a Darkrai and a Latios. That’s not even legal for some reason and I even spoke to Charles Goodshow on behalf of Bill, his grandson – “

“Who _what_ , Bill _who_?”

“Bill, the Poke Maniac? The guy from Goldenrod who runs the PC Storage System throughout Indigo?” Paul blinked. Oak sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Something was definitely up with that League. Or else, they would have never let that Toby dude use a Legendary and freaking _Mythical_. That guy had his Pokémon taken from him and his trainer’s licenses exempt didja know that? It was just never made public, the League, once Bill got involved, contacted Lance, thanks to moui.”  
  
The freaking jerk flipped his hair – he took time to style that mop on his head, didn’t he? _Arrogant jerk_. “The guy never made it to Cynthia and she managed to keep her title as Champion. Keep in mind, while Cynthia is still Champion here in Sinnoh the League is run here differently than in Indigo. The League Association run by Goodshow is the one who calls the shot unless of a national emergency.” Thinking to the Team Galatic disaster.  
  
Gary bites the inside of his cheek. ‘ _Yeah, like they called the shots on that one, they didn’t want to intervene and let the Chosen One do it but Cynthia and Interpol stepped up as Lance was unavailable at the moment to speak up, really Sinnoh needs to change’_. If only this guy knew what Champion and working for the League really meant. “Don’t tax me for the details. I’ve worked for years to get to my position that I am today and to step out of _Samuel Oak’s_ shadow, and thanks to people like Lance; I’ve no longer had to deal with ‘oh he’s PROFESSOR SAMUEL OAK’s grandson.”

Where that came from, Gary had no idea, but it was revolutionary to speak out about either way. His grandfather could be really, really incompetent about some things. Gary had to step up at just the mere fourteen-years-old (at the time) and take his old man’s place and look into a guardian in Sinnoh’s Regional Professor. Advocating for years for change in the region, and now he was getting it. “I guess you could say I’m a semi-battling researcher. I don’t want my Pokémon to fall behind because that brat.”

Paul does a double-take to compose himself of all the information he’s given, and then he realizes Oak’s talking about Ash when he says ‘that brat’. “I’ve known Ash since he was in diapers, I still have his baby pictures loaded on my phone if you wanna see em.” Gary wagged a finger.

Ash Ketchum’s baby pictures… Does he? The temptation. “At what cost?”

“Get me a burger and we’ll think about it.”

Paul doesn’t know what new relationship he’s struck up with this Gary Oak person, but – “Oh hey,” they said over milkshakes and burgers. Oak likes it Strawberry. Paul likes his plain vanilla which of course Oak has to tease Paul about. “You’re in here too.”

“Dammit, I forgot to delete that one.”

Paul can’t stop staring at the phone and Oak doesn’t seem to mind as he has already finished off his shake, then snatches some of Paul’s cheese fries. “So, what’s with you and Ash, tell me where you first met, where he took you on his first moonlight Swanna boat ride.”

Paul said ‘hey’- when he saw the greedy grandson snatch the fries and then tossed the asshole his phone back. “Eh, I’ve got insurance.”

“None of those things happened first of all, also – my money. My food, get your own if you want seconds Mr. Rich Junior Research Assistant and Self-Published Author.” Gary snorted and Paul sipped the last of his shake. “I had a Chimchar.”

“Oh no. _That Infernape_?”

Paul breathes. “Yeah.”

“Ash can overexaggerate and under-exaggerate, mainly because I think he and Pikachu hold only one brain cell together and Pikachu’s the only functioning one.” Gary didn’t seem too hungry anymore. In fact, he seemed rather sick. He rubbed his arm and looked out the window. “That’s why detached myself from him, so I wouldn’t worry about him anymore. Yet whenever I meet up with him, I couldn’t help but come crawling back each time. He will never grow up.”

Paul bites his lip, then takes Oak by the hand. “Come on, I’ve already paid. Lets’ get out of here. They can clean up.”

Paul can be oblivious and arrogant and hotheaded, but that doesn’t mean he’s stuck in a childhood fantasy like Ash goddamn Ketchum is. He really hurt Gary, and Paul takes the youngest Oak by the arm and leads him out of the diner. Suddenly feeling a heaviness on his shoulders that he didn’t before.

“So, no moonlight Swanna boat rides?” They’re staring at the river in Sunnyshore City, Paul doesn’t know why he’s here. Maybe to participate in the Sinnoh Battle Frontier. He says it’s been revamped and there are things that are different now. The Flute Cup, something about that. It’s been hyped about for a while now.

“Nope. Not unless you want to.” Paul nudges his new – friend? Friend? What were they?

“Nah. Hey, I was thinking of heading to Hoenn and studying some Glyphs in Granite cave… Relaxing on Dewford Town’s beach, they have a nice hotel there… Then my friend Steven Stone was going to meet up with me – you wanna come?”

Studying Glyphs in a weird cave where a disaster could possibly strike at any moment with a guy, he just met yet, he feels like he’s known forever? Meeting the Hoenn Champion – at a probably really nice hotel? It’s not for competing in a league but, “I’ll see, maybe I could bring some of my Pokémon along with me.”

“I’d like to see some of your other Pokémon, give them a Gary Oak-special evaluation, maybe we can even get Brawly and Steven to help with training.”

Paul snorts. Though really, the only thing Paul has his eyes set on is the Oak kid right now. How weird has this day been? Detaches himself from some chains that he’s been holding onto for years – Ash freaking Ketchum, for one, and makes a new… Companion. Paul has never had friends, but he wants to be Gary Oak’s friend. Not Ash’s friend. No matter how many time’s Ketchum tried to be Paul’s friend it just didn’t work.

Then Ash had to go be a petty and rub Infernape’s abandonment in Paul’s face with his win. Reggie still goes on it.

Why don’t you be more like Ash? Get out there and train some more. Go out there and try harder, your problems aren’t going to solve themselves if you just stay around in the house and mope all the time. On top of that – his own brother didn’t even acknowledge him as someone who was trying to ‘change’. It was just Ash, Ash was the little brother that Reggie wanted, then so be it.

When Gary and Paul were stepping side by side each other, leaving towards the Sunnyshore Pokémon Center, Paul couldn’t believe it – but he was crying…

“Hey – something- “Gary reached out but the purple-haired teen, who’s hair had grown out and he’d grown actual facial hair, just a little stubble, brushed Oak off.

“Later. I’ll tell you later.” But despite the bluster of tears clogging his vision Paul felt -lighter.

He finally felt free.


End file.
